


Star City 2046

by jdark



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-27 04:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6270184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jdark/pseuds/jdark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during the episode 6 of the Legends. Len finds himself in the future he doesn't like. While he just wants to get the job done and leave, Mick suggests that they might as well put their roots here. That's not an option for Len, but he can't really admit what his reasons are to his partner. So his conflict with Mick ensues. And to end it he might require some extra help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What Future Holds

_‘Timeline is malleable, in flux until it's set’_. Len mused over the words as the Legends team made their way through the rundown streets of Star City. Set or not, this post-apocalyptic future, the overturned cars, street fires, crumbled down buildings, it was unsettling. If not for the bike noises in the distance, he’d assume that this place was a ghost town.

He glanced at Rip. Their captain seemed unfazed by the scenery. Len wanted to take it as a good sign – an indication that he can trust Rip’s words. The problem was he knew how to read people. And Rip’s expression told him only one thing – the time traveler has seen this before. Surely he probably was not here to witness the demise of this particular city, but most certainly he had had to go through his fair share of vile, brutal events and see the devastation left in its wake. At some point he must have learned to emotionally detach himself from it to preserve his sanity. The kind of skill that Len hadn’t fully mastered so far.

This wasn’t necessarily his future. Strictly speaking it was only a potential future, not a fixed point. But he wasn’t some geeky scientist to theorize on that. For him this place felt as real as any other places he had been to. He couldn’t help feeling unease. He thought of Lisa. Maybe he could find a way to check on her, see if she’s alright. The impeding prospect of him getting involved scared him. He felt compelled to confirm Lisa’s well-being, but, considering the poor state Star City was in, he dreaded to learn that the same fate had befallen his city. Despite his meticulously constructed Cold persona, he was not sure that he’d be able to remain calm and keep himself from meddling. _'_

 _Remember when I told you it's too dangerous to know about your own future? The event that you dread can very well come to be due to your actions to prevent them'._ Rip's words flashed in his head. Weren’t that exactly what their team was doing right now? Or did Rip just assume that his meddling would be more educated and paradox-free than any other team member individually could opt for? This whole time travel thing was truly confusing. And way too disquieting.

Len turned his attention to their captain who was trying to calm down the female assassin, Sara Lance, and apparently was failing to do so.

“Miss Lance, please!” Rip sounded exasperated. “We absolutely cannot get more involved that we already are! The less you know about this future the safer it is to…”

“Can’t you see what you’re asking of me?” Sara cut him off. “This is my city! The city I was supposed to protect! And look at it!”

“Wasn’t your father a police captain?” Len interjected.

“Yes, why?” Sara shot him a glance.

“Just thinking, he did one hell of a job here”, Len drawled. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to be spiteful about it.

“The only way he could have let something like that happen would be him being dead. And that goes for the Team Arrow as well”, she stated, her voice completely void of any emotion.

Len decided not to push it any further. After all she or her father, or the Arrow for that matter, had nothing to do with him. Actually if he had to express any particular emotion, it would be pity. The flash of anger, the bitterness he felt a moment ago was not directed at them. He realized that as soon as the words had left his mouth. He was definitely mad. But he was mad at someone else. This was so unlike him. He wasn’t used to having such irrational thoughts. He didn’t know if something had happened to his city, but the fear was there.

He didn’t have to be a pessimist to anticipate the worst. Logical thinking was his strong point and connecting two dots was never a challenge. In this case he was well aware of two facts. One, the Arrow and the Flash knew each other. Two, the Flash would never stand by and do nothing when the life of his friends, or well anyone truly, was at risk. Despite this Star City was in ruin. Did the Scarlet speedster know? Did he rush to rescue his friends? And… failed? Len didn’t like this scenario one bit. It left Central City vulnerable, unsafe. It put Lisa at risk. If the Flash really had perished along with the better half of other heroes, he had every right to be mad at him.

Len took a deep breath to calm down and clear his head from the unnecessary thoughts.

“We’re almost there, Mr.Snart.” Rip must have sensed Len’s impatience and decided to reassure him. “As soon as we get the item, with your kind assistance of course, we’ll be ready to depart.”

“What a bore”, Mick groaned. “Again, when do I getta use my gun?”

“If the situation calls for it, please, by all means do use your gun, just refrain from killing people to avoid paradox”, Rip replied, somewhat tired.

“Oh… well can’t guarantee that last part, Boss.” Mick sneered.

Len didn’t like the gleam in the other man’s eyes. Apparently his partner didn’t share Len’s wish to leave this place as quickly as possible, but had an urge to explore instead. He sighed. And hoped it wouldn’t get any more complicated than it already was.


	2. Joyride

“Drop your weapons and hand over your wallets!” said a man with a smug grin plastered across his face. The gang of thugs behind him whooped in encouragement, revving up the engines of their motorcycles.

Len wasn’t sure when their merry walk to the bank had turned into this… ill-conceived robbery attempt. _Really?_ He turned to look at Mick. _Maybe he’d just heard it wrong?_ Mick gave him an equally incredulous look. _No mistake then._

“Are you actually trying to mug _us_?” He managed.

“What is this amateur hour?” Mick teased.

Apparently this inside joke was completely lost on the men surrounding them, except for the fact that it made them visibly angrier, as they closed in on the two. Another man, with a fur coat draped over his shoulders, stepped forward.

“You don’t do what my man says, we’re gonna crush you into the pavement like a couple of ants”, the – presumably – leader of the gang threatened. 

Len glared. He wasn’t in the mood for this. Truth be told he wasn’t in the mood for a bank robbery either. Not when he knew that there won’t be any thrill to it. And without a rush of danger to make his blood run cold, it just wasn’t worth it. On second thought it still could be better than spending time with these clowns. So, if it was a brawl that they were looking for, he might as well get it over with quickly and be on his way.

“Let’s teach these fellas a lesson,” he said mockingly, eyeing the man in the fur coat.

His tone of voice must have riled the man up, because without further ado he threw a punch, which got Len square in the jaw.

It didn’t hurt, but it did give him a mild surprise. He clicked his tongue, annoyed at his slow reaction. The fact that he could take a punch like this didn’t mean that he should have. He didn’t let it show on his face, though. Looking nonchalant he straightened up and smirked at the other man. Still, Len’s grip on the cold gun tightened, and he was about to put his weapon to good use, but Mick beat him to it.

“Hold this!” Mick shoved his own gun in Len’s hands and took a swing at the man.

Mick didn’t even try to dodge when the other man returned the favor. Like he was sizing him up to see what he’d got, to determine whether he was a worthy opponent. And apparently the man didn’t qualify, because Mick decided to change his strategy.

“On second thought…” Mick grabbed for his gun and sent a blazing wave of inferno, deciding to end it quick.

The gang members shrieked and scattered in the most undignified manner, seeking protection behind the debris and abandoned cars.

“Where did you get this?!” Someone from the gang cried out alarmed.

“E-bay”, Mick smirked.

Len just shook his head at this. If a certain promising engineer had heard him right now he would be very disappointed. Cisco Ramon might find it hard to come into terms with the notion that his precious creations are used by a group of villains, but something told Len that he still would fervently claim the credit for the guns he had designed. He wondered if other scientists shared his weird tendency to put so much pride in his inventions. Well, Len wasn’t the one to complain. After all, Cisco’s inventions, be it weapons or some new gimmicks for the Flash suit, were top notch. Circumstantially, Cisco was another reason that forced him to constantly up his game. Especially, after the scientist came up with that heating feature for the suit. It made the task of turning the Flash into an icicle so much harder. But Len was eager for the challenge. _Anything to see that look of exasperation on the Scarlet Speedster's face_. He chuckled.   
Meanwhile Mick had knocked the leader of the gang to the ground and was hovering over him with a greedy look on his face.  
"I think you won't be needing this anymore," Mick said, stripping the fur coat off the man who looked utterly beaten and didn't so much as protest when the piece of closing was unceremoniously extorted from him. "Hm, not bad!"  
Len gave a dubiously look at the new addition to his partner's wardrobe, but said nothing. _At least now they could leave_. He started walking, but Mick didn't follow.  
"C'mon, Mick, let's go", Len urged.   
Mick, in his new fur coat, strolled to the nearest motorcycle like he was on a cat-walk. The gang stood silently at a safe distance, seemingly holding their breath, all eyes intently following Mick’s movements. He mounted the vehicle.   
"This has been fun but I think it's time to leave", Len tried again, getting impatient.  
"Why'd we leave?!" Mick exclaimed, showing genuine surprise. “The fun’s just about to start!”

Len wanted to protest, but Mick wasn’t looking at him anymore, directing his attention to the gang instead.

“Now”, Mick motioned to one of the girls from the gang. “Sweetheart, get here and show us the place where you fellas usually chill”.

Len watch as the girl trotted to Mick’s motorcycle and sat behind him. Other men followed. Quick to adapt to their new chain of command they cheered for their new boss and in a minute were packed on the remaining vehicles ready to follow him to their lair.

 Len signed. He didn’t like where this was going. But he couldn’t quite leave Mick to himself either. So, he had no other choice, but to get on one of the motorbikes and join the procession. 


	3. Saints and Sinners

The place was lively, crowded and noisy in a way every half-decent bar should be. The gang who had escorted them here dispersed among the population of the bar, spreading the note about their new boss. A warm welcome was arranged. It included free access to the drinks, or maybe it originally didn't, but – as the bartender didn't protest when Mick fished out a bottle of Gin from the bar counter – either way it was okay now. Then the girl from before, who was joined by her friend – another twenty-something blonde, gave them a tour around the bar. It was spacious and apparently served a variety of other purposes for the gang other than being just a place to chill. To Len's disappointment it missed a pool table. Even with all those back rooms, filled with weapons and loot, this place was nothing like Saints and Sinners, Len concluded. Thank you, but he'd rather keep his safe houses and favorite bars separate. He doubted the food here was at least half as good too. So, nothing captivating about this place, he supposed.

"Look it's a freaking chalice!" Mick exclaimed with genuine fascination. He smirked delightfully when a girl offered to pour him a drink an it. "Isn't it awesome?!"

"Sure. Fascinating", Len replied. "Shouldn't we be getting back to Rip and Sara?"

"Why?" Mick grimaced. He looked at the girl by his side. "I'd rather we get more accustomed to our new home here, whaddya say?" Mick offered, wounding his arm around the girl's waist. She giggled. It was painful to watch. Len rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm not looking to put down my roots HERE", he stressed.

"Why not?" Mick shrugged. "C'mon, it's everything we've ever wanted. I've got a gang that does everything I tell them to. I've got fur coats. A chalice. This sweetheart here".

 _Really, why not?_ He wasn't sure himself. It just didn't sit well with him. He had a mission to accomplish.

"What about stopping Savage?"

"What about it? You've said we're on it about score, remember?"

Oh, he did remember. His speech to convince Mick to tag along on this mission was total bullshit. He knew that he was lying to Mick as well as to himself the moment those words left his mouth. Going to the past to steal things before fingerprints, surveillance cameras, and DNA analysis had been invented, to get whatever they want and leave no trace. That was supposed to be his goal. Their goal. But what was it truly? Empty words. Because he knew that those were the words that Mick wanted to hear. Expected to hear from him. And he wanted Mick with him on the mission. Because he wasn't sure why he decided to join the Legends nor what he wanted to gain from it, so he needed someone he knew by his side, someone to keep him in check, ground him somehow. This plan had totally backfired, and it was Len's fault. He could feel the rift growing between Mick and himself at an alarming rate. Soon he would have to make a choice.

"We can live like kings here. No cops no heroes. Just some fool in a green hoodie", Mick continued, listing all the advantages of staying in this future.

Noisy bars, nameless girls who'd love you for the right amount of money, a crowd of minions flocking around you and willing to follow your lead until someone more promising were to show up. Was this really so fascinating? And so different from what they had back in their time? _Oh, and n_ _o heroes, was it?_ Well, that alone sounded like a major turn off. He adored the chase. He loved the challenge. And the heroes were really committed to provide it.

"Isn't it too easy? You'd be the first one bored here, Mick", Len appealed.

"Ridiculous! It's Christmas every day!" Mick stood his ground unperturbed.

This phrase triggered an unwanted memory. Christmas was the last time he paid the Flash a visit. The last time he had seen the kid. That day he accused Len of being a lousy villain. Those words still bothered him. Maybe that was true? And Mick was right to think that he is out of his mind being serious about following through with the Legends' mission.

"Whatever", Len sighed in resignation. The longer he talked to Mick the more confusing the thoughts that plagued his mind had become. That was disturbing. "Enjoy yourself".

He turned around and walked away from Mick and his company. He then made a detour to the bar counter, where, following Mick's example, he unceremoniously appropriated a bottle of whiskey and a clean glass. If he was to get through tonight he was in a desperate need for a drink. He found an empty seat under a dim lamplight in the far corner of the bar and settled in there.

* * *

TBC

It's an inappropriately short chapter, I know. Sorry, guys!!! I promise it'll get better when I'm done with my exams. Please, bear with me.

**Author's Note:**

> TBC
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I plan to take you through the events of E6, mostly concentrating on Len's perspective, and then give you my interpretation on what motivated him to act as he did, and how exactly he dealt with Mick in that forest.
> 
> I'll be happy to read your comments!


End file.
